[Cell-penetrating peptide PEP-1-mediated transduction of enhanced green fluorescent protein into human colorectal cancer SW480 cells].

Background & Objective: Cell-penetrating peptides, a class of small cationic peptides, could mediate macromolecules transduction into many cell lines. This study was to explore the penetrating ability of PEP-1 in the transduction of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) into human colorectal cancer cell line SW480.

Methods: Two prokaryotic expression plasmids pET15b-EGFP and pET15b-PEP-1-EGFP were constructed and transformed into E.coli BL21 (DE3) to express EGFP and fusion protein PEP-1-EGFP, respectively. Purified EGFP and PEP-1-EGFP were incubated with SW480 cells. The expression of EGFP in SW480 cells was observed under inverted fluorescent microscope.

Results: EGFP could not be transduced into SW480 cells, whereas PEP-1-EGFP fusion protein could be transduced into SW480 cells and distributed in cytoplasm and nuclei after 1-hour incubation.

Conclusion: Mediated by PEP-1, EGFP could be transduced efficiently into SW480 cells.